Switch box for automatic generating plants



, June 9, 1931. A. F. BROTZ 1,808,883

vSWITCH BOX FOR AUTOMATIC GENERATING PLANTS fi Filed 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l x". hi I 1 I 42 fl l r 1oz J m .111

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SWITCH BOX FOR AUTOMATIC GENERATING PLANTS Original Filed Oct. 5, 1925 N V EN TOR a i. I, 1

A TTORNE Y.

Patented June 9, 1931 TENT OFFICE ANTON FRANK BROTZ, OF KOHLER, WISCONSIN,

ASSIGNOR .TO KOHLER COMPANY, OF

KOHLER, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN SWITCH BOX FOR AUTOMATIC GENERATIN G PLANTS priginal application filed October 5, 1925, Serial no. 60,702. Patent No. 1,734,557.

application filed May 23,

mayoccur, but inaccessible to insects that may interfere with the operation.

Another object of the invention is to provile such a switch box with a tight-fitting coverof such construction that, when opened, free access may be had to the switching mechanism for adjustment or repairs.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a cover for switch boxes that will not only enclose the switching mechanism mountedmn the front of a switch panel but will cover and protect the wiring connections on the back of the panel.

Anotherobject of the invention is to construct a switch box having great strength and rigidity, adapted to be bolted to themachine and affording proper support for a slate or other insulating instrument panel on .which the switching mechanism is mounted. 7 j

.Another object of the invention is to provide such a switch box with a hooded main knife switch for controlling the connection of the generating unit with the mains and so arranged that, when closed, it is tightly sealed and completely enclosed so that access may not be had thereto or to the fuses associated therewith without first opening the switch.

This application constitutes a division of my application for Automatic generating plants, Serial No.- 60,702, filed October 5, 1925, which has become Patent No. 1,7 34,557, November 5, 1929. With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in the switch box for automatic generating plants as hereinclaimed and all equivalents.

Referring to the accompanying drawings Divided and thil I927. Serial No. 193,658.

in which like characters of reference indicate the same parts in different views,

Fig. 1 is a longtiudinal sectional view of a switch box constructed in accordance with this invention, showing the open position of the knife switch in dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is a bottom view thereof with a portion of the bottom plate broken away showing the mounting flange on the end casting;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the plane of line 3-3 of Fig. 1, showing the open position of the cover in dotted lines;

Fig. 4 is a plan View with the cover sectioned;

Fig. 5 is a front perspective with the knife switch open;

Fig. 6 is a rear View of the frontend casta;

Fig. 7 is a detail view of the resetting rod;

Fig. 8 is a detail view of one 01 the resistors and the clip therefor;

Fig. 9 is an end view of the clip, and

F ig. 10 is a viewof the clamping member thereof.

In these drawings, 10 indicates the front end casting and 11 the other, the two being connected by a bottom plate 12 and supporting between them a panel 13 of slate or other suitable insulating material. In detail each end casting has a deep mounting flange 100 integral with it at its lower edge and provided with mounting studs 101 for- 12 and also bears along its vertical edges against flanges 103 formed on the end castings and is rigidly clamped in place b screws 104'threadin into ears 105, whic project from these anges near their upper ends. At its lower edge the slate is clam ed to the bottom plate 12 by a bolt 106 passing through it and through an angle bracket 107 bolted to the bottom plate 12. In this manner the main frame structure of the switch box consistin of the end castings, the bottom plate and t e insulating panel, to

.produce the ends, the bottom and the back of the box, are rigidly. clamped together to form a'strong'and substantial supporting structure on which the other parts are mounted.

A. sheet metal cover 14 closes the front and top of the box and extends ap roximately half way down the back 0 the box, where it is spaced from the panel to guard and protect the'wiring connections on the back of the panel. At this rear end the cover is pivotally mountedby means of angle lugs 108 spot welded thereto and pivotally threaded on screws 1'09 passing through end casting 11 and through an outstanding lug 110 on end casting 10. These pivotal points are not in alignment for one lug 108 is on the inside of the cover and theother lug ison the outside-of the cover for convenience" in attaching the pivot screws and sealin'gthem, as will be later described, but the flexibility of the cover is such as to permit tr this departure from conventional so as to contact with the cover and orm a tight sealing closure therewith. The lower front edge of the cover is bent to form a rearwardly extendin flange 112 contacting with an upwardl ent flange 38 at the front edge of the bottom plate 12, this contact also formin a tight fitting closure. The flange 38 o the bottom plate is recessed at its ends to take the mounting flanges 100 of the endcastings and fit behin the stop flanges 111 to which they are secured b screws'114. Screws 115 pass throught e cover at its side edges near the lower ed e and thread into the flanges 111 to lock t e cover and, as it is desirable to seal the switch box to prevent tampering therewith or a change of adjustment except at the factory or service stations, these screws, as well as the pivot screws 109, are adaptedto be sealed ,in place by having a sealing wire passed through diametrical openings in their heads and through openings in convenient sealing lugs 116 and then secured with lead seals, makingit impossible to remove the cover or obtain access to the switching mechanism without destroying the seals.

The end casting 10 has deep top and side flanges forming a hood 11 7 for containing a knife switch 63 and fuses 17, the blades 15 of said knife switch being carried by a hinged cover 16 which is pivotally mounted between the side flanges of the hood and adapted, when closed, to fit within the hood walls, as shown in Fig. 1. In this manner the main switch is required to be opened in order to gain access to the fuses 17.

Mounted on the panel 13 within the switch box are three magnetic switches 18, 19 and 20, respectively, the first of which is the control switch for starting and stopping the power of a load, t e second is the generator relay for connecting the generator with the line when it functions, and the third is the cranking switch for cranking'the engine with the generator operating as a motor.

A. thermostatic switch 29 is provided for automatically opening the cranking circuit after a period sufiicient for cranking so as to prevent depletion of the battery when, for any reason, the engine cannot be cranked, as upon the absence of fuel, and this "consists of a heating coil 3 ,secured to a sti ip of bi-metallic thermostat metal 31, which is mounted at one end on the insulating panel 13 and at the other end carries a contact 32 to engage a contact 32 carried by a lever, 33 mounted on a pivot block 34 and held in either its closed or-its open position an arched spring 35 engaging said pivot ck and a projection of the lever. This spring serves to hold the lever in either of its positions by having its outer end carried from one side to the other of the line connecting its inner end and the pivotal axis of the lever. A resetting rod- 36, serving as an indicator to show by its projecting through an opening in the switch cover 14::

that the thermostat switch is open, is pivotlant in the presence or absence ally mounted on the lever 33 and is guided by passin through an opening in a guide member 3 mounted on the upwardly extending front flange 38 of thebottom member 12. The cover 14 is depressed around the opening through which the resetting rod 36 projects so as to bear against the guide member 37 and make a tight sealing fit therewith, therels avoiding the necessity for making a ti ht t between the rod and its opening in t e cover. i Mounted on the rear of the insulating panel in suitable supporting clips 118 is a attery-charging reslstance element 39 and a field rheostat resistance element 40', both having adjustable tap clips 41 to permit of resistance variation. The resistance of the resistance element 39 between the tap clip and one end thereof is adapted to be short circuited by a charge-varying switch 42, preferably of the push and pull type, mounted throu h an opening in the end casting 11. A trou le lamp 43, preferably controlled switch mechanism by a switch 44 and mounted on the hood of end casting 10 is connected across the generator terminals of the knife switch to constitute a test load for starting the unit in operation while disconnected from the mains for proving that the power plant is in operative condition and so eliminating it from consideration when trouble occurs on the line.

It will be noted that the enclosure for the has closely fitting parts that make it impossible for insects to gain admission and interfere with the operation of the switches. However, openings 45 may be provided in the bottom plate for ventilation, but these are preferably covered with wire screen 46 to exclude insects.

at I claim as new and desire to secure by. Letters Patent'is:

'1. A switch box comprising end castings, a horizontal bottom member connected thereto, a vertical insulating panel mounted between the end castings and fitting against the bottom member, a cover hinged to the end castings and engaging the bottom member and forming a tight enclosure with the end castings and the panel and the bottom member, and switching mechanism mounted on the panel within the enclosure, there being screened openings in the bottom member for ventilation and preventing the entrance of insects to the enclosure.

2. A switch box comprising end castings,

a horizontal bottom member connected fl thereto, a vertical insulating panel mounted between the end castings and fitting against Y the bottom member, a cover hinged to the end castings and engaging the bottom member and forming a-tight enclosure with the end castings and the panel and the bottom member, and switching mechanism mounted on the panel within the enclosure. I 3. A switch box comprising end castings provided with mounting flanges extending inwardly from their lower ends and havin means for connection with a support, a horizontal bottom plate connecting the end castings, vertical flange's projecting from the end castings, a vertical insulating panel fitting against said flanges and secured thereto and bearing on the bottom plate, stop flanges on the end castings across the top and-front thereof, and a ings and bearing on the stop flanges and against the bottom plate to form a tight enclosure therewit 4. A switch box comprising end castin a horizontal bottom plate connecting the end castings, a vertical insulating panel also connecting the end castings and enga ing the bottom plate, instruments mounts on the insulating anelwith wiring connectionson the back 0 the panel, and a cover pivotally mounted to the end castings back of the inandfitting between the end cover hinged to the end castf ally mounted thereon, screws securing. the and means forcover to the end castings, sealing the screws against removal.

6. A switch box comprising end castings, a horizontal bottom plate connecting the end castings, a vertical insulating panel also connecting theend castings, shouldered flanges on the end castings along the to and'front of the switch box, a cover hinge to the end castings and engaging said shouldered flanges when closed, a flange bent'up along the front edge of the bottom plate and fitting inside of and secured to the shouldered flanges'of the end castings, and a flange on the edge of the cover bent back into engagement with the bottom plate.

7. A switch box comprising end castings, a horizontal bottom plate connecting the end castings, a vertical insulating panel also connecting the end castin s, a cover hinged to the end castings and fi tting between the end castings across the top and the front of the switch box, an upwardly extending secured thereto, anfd a switch-operating push-rod passing through the guide member, the cover having an opening through which the end of the push-rod projects and being depressed around said opening to bear on the guide member, said cover forming a tight-flttin enclosure with the end castings, the insulating panel, the bottom plate and said guide member.

8. A switch box, comprising op osite end walls having bottom mounting anges directed toward each on the mounting flanges or supporting the switch box, a horizontal bottom wall connecting the end wallsand secured to the mountin flanges, a vertical insulatin panel closely tting between-the end wafis and against the bottom wall to constitute a ourth wall of the enclosure, said panel be ing spaced inwardl from the rear edges of the end walls, an a cover hinged to the end walls at intermediate points of their rear edges and extending upwardly at a distance behind the panel and over the up per edge of the panel and bearing thereon to form the top wall of the enclosure and downwardly into enga ement with the bottom. wall to form the ront wall of the enclosure and havin its side ed es in tight fittin relation with the end walls.

9. i switch box, comprising opposite end ange on the bottom plate, a guide memberothe? attaching means.

walls having bottom mounting flanges walls having bottom mounting fiangesdirected toward each other, attaching means on the mounting flanges for supporting the box, a horizontal bottom wall connecting the end walls and secured to the mounting flanges, a vertical insulating panel closely fitting between the end walls and spaced forwardly from the rear edges thereof and bearing against the bottom wall to constitute a fourth wall of the enclosure, switch mechanism mounted on the front of the panel, wirin on the back of the panel, and a cover hinge to the end walls at intermediate points of their rear edges and extending upwardly along the edges of. the end walls to form a guard for the wiring and over the edge of the panel and bearing thereon to form the top wall of the enclosure and downwardly into engagement into the bottom. wall to form the front wall of the enclosure and having its side edges in tight fitting relation with the end walls,

10. A switch box, comprising opposite end rected toward each other and having stop flanges and vertical flanges on their inner faces, attaching means on the mounting flanges for supporting the switch box, a horizontal bottom wall connecting the end walls'and secured to the mounting flanges, a vertical insulating panel closely fitting between the end walls and mounted on the ver tical flangesand bearing against the bottom wall to constitute a fourth wall of the enclosure said panel being spaced inwardly from the rear edges of the end walls, and a cover hinged to'the end walls at intermediate points of their rear edges and extending upwardly at a distance behind the panel and over the upper edge of the panel and bearing thereon and on thestop flanges to form the top wallfof the enclosure and downwardly into engagement with the bottom wall and bearing on the stop flanges to form the front wall of the enclosure.

In testimony whereof, 'I afix my signa- ANTON FRANK Bno z." 

